Pin joints are commonly used in numerous work machine applications, such as in track chains or undercarriage systems, linkage pins, or boom pin joints. Typically, the pin joint components are made of a general use steel with limited surface treatment. Moreover, multiple surface treatments on the same component or surface of a component are technologically challenging, as use of multiple surface treatments commonly encounters the problem of subsequent treatments offsetting the effectiveness of the earlier surface treatment(s).
The vast majority of improvements related to improving pin joint wear resistance are directed to sealing technology, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,555, issued to Yamamoto et al. Despite Yamamoto et al.'s advances, they do not address improvements related to the pin joint components, and certainly not to creating a pin joint component with multiple surface treatments.